Love Sneaks In
by Dreaming Wide Awake
Summary: Perhaps things would change for the better someday. Or maybe not. But, for sure, it would take one heck of a person to change her mind after all she had been through.
1. Prologue

**Full summary: After her mother's death, Ariel has drifted a million miles away from the person that she used to be. She's withdrawn from everything and everyone around her, not exactly sure how to pick up the pieces and move on after her beloved companion's passing on. Then, in the blink of an eye, things begin to change: her sisters are moving on, her father is moving on, and the entire kingdom seems to have already moved on, leaving a sullen and resentful Ariel the only one left grieving her mother's death. However, when someone new suddenly comes into the picture, completely by accident, can Ariel ever find it in her heart to trust another when she has been left devastated by this very same act once before in the past? Is there _really _someone out there in the deep blue sea who cares enough to possibly try to rekindle the flame of Ariel's past and remind her of who she once used to be?  
**

* * *

**LOVE SNEAKS IN**

**Prologue:**

**Hate Sprung From Ignorance  
**

In the tender stages of childhood, it hadn't quite made sense to Ariel why mer-people became so worked up when the controversial subject of humans was discussed. She had always been told by her elders that the people who lived beyond the surface were disgusting barbarians that didn't pay second mind to the people of the sea. Legend had it, if they discovered you anywhere near their ships or near the shore, they'd show you no mercy and kill you ruthlessly. Therefore, if any soul were to brave enough to bring up this sensitive topic at the dinner table or at public speeches (or the like), he would most likely earn himself more enemies than friends.

However, none of this seemed to click in Ariel's young mind. Maybe this was because she had heard many wonderful stories of humans from her various tutors throughout the years, who would probably be fired in an instant if they were discovered sharing such things with their students. She had also studied mankind extensively (and surreptitiously) through a variety of books lent to her by those very same tutors. One could say it was her obsession, even if only a secret from the rest of the world around her. She lived to learn everything she could about those humans. To her, it was a dire thirst she couldn't quite quench. This same monomania probably explained why she never really had any friends growing up, either. Well, aside from being a daughter of the mighty King Triton and gentle Queen Andromeda, she was always to preoccupied with her "studies" to have time to play or do anything else, for that matter. She was _always_ too busy drinking in the wonders of the human world and the people who inhabited it.

Ariel's mother, much like her youngest daughter, had had a secret human fetish, too. Her father would most definitely have a heart-attack if he _ever_ found out about the passion her mother had for that world above, of which she shared with her little Ariel. Once, the youngest inquired as to why none of her other sisters didn't know as much about humans as she did. Of course, she knew that her sisters had different tutors than her own, but she had always imagined they were learning the same things she was. The older woman had shaken her head and tenderly explained to the little one: _I will begin teach them when they are willing to learn. _The redhead had even gone further as to voice her own thoughts and opinions as to everyone's ignorance when it came to the subject matter of humans. Her mother merely smiled that beautiful smile of hers, _Indeed, the greatest ignorance, my child, is to reject something you know nothing about. _

Possibly the most exciting thing about her mother, however, was her human shrine. In her lifetime, she had only told one, and only one, person about this special place, and it was to stay that way forevermore. Nonetheless, it was beautiful abandoned trove full of fascinating human artifacts she had acquired over the years. Truth be told, Ariel could visit the place a thousand times over again and still spot something new and exciting each time.

But, then, one day, the current shifted, altering everything and everyone in its wake. Ariel, personally, had gone from a bright, radiant girl who loved humans with all her being, to a subdued teenager who made a vow never to go near anything associated with humans again. She wasn't going to think of those _horrible_ people and she most definitely wasn't going to collect any more of their stuff again. Never, ever again.

She had, for nearly fifteen years of her life, grown up with the false idea that all humans were kind and gentle and caring. But she had been young and naïve back then. Now, she saw who they truly were: merciless _murderers_. That's all they were and all they ever were going to be. Clearly, there were two sides to every sand dollar; a concept that she was too childish to realize or even anticipate at first. After all, all she had ever known and loved had backfired on her in an instant, leaving her heartbroken and more or less resentful. I mean, who _wouldn't_ hold a little bit of a grudge after that?

In an instant, everything had changed. _Everything. _Her only best friend and beloved mother had been mutilated and choked to death by a _fish-eater's_ hook. It was the very same one she had come to admire and gaze in awe at over the years. Now, if her death had been intentional or unintentional, she did not know, nor did she care, for it was still no excuse for what those humans had done. They had ruined her life! Destroyed it in a second.

In this act, she had lost a mentor and a mother. A teacher and a friend. A true companion, who was never to return and all because of the people she had been so fond of.

Once upon a time, her dreams had sparkled and showed great hope, like the mid-morning sun glimmering off the sea. Now, she was isolated from everyone and everything around her, always hopelessly absorbed in her own thoughts. Silent and dejected, her old bright and chipper self was slowly slipping down into the darkest crevices of the sea.

But perhaps things would change for the better someday. Or maybe not. But, for sure, it would take one heck of a person to change her mind after all she had been through.

* * *

**This _is _a new take on our favorite little mermaid, isn't it? I know we're all probably used to the whole stereotypical, peppy Ariel image, but I had an itch to explore a slightly different side to her; an (obviously) darker one, especially before and after her mother's death, so that is going to definitely come off OOC. Rest assured, I have a feeling the depressed/dark mood will not linger for too long, though. Nonetheless, I can't wait to see where this little idea takes me!  
**

**-Dreaming Wide Awake**

**P.S. ****Reviews are _always _appreciated! :)  
**


	2. Reaching Out

**Chapter One: Reaching Out  
**

"_Mommy, will you take me to see the humans someday?" Ariel, who was currently eight years of age, inquired innocently. Nervously anticipating her mother's answer, she twirled a piece of her vibrant red hair around her finger (that had always been a bad habit of hers!) as her eyes wandered from one human artifact to the next. _

_"Of course, darling, but not until you get older," her mother responded, kissing her gently atop the head. "I will take you on the day of your fifteenth birthday."_

_"Promise?" _

_"Promise."_

"_Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mommy! You're the best!" Ariel exclaimed giddily, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck tightly. _

_Little Ariel couldn't have been any more ecstatic from that point on, for it had only been her hope and dream since she was a little girl to see one (or maybe even more!) of those fascinating creatures with her own two eyes. All of their stuff was so wonderful, so wouldn't their manufacturers be the exact same way? "Wow, now I only wish seven years would go by sooner!" she added in afterthought. _

"_Oh, my dear sweet Ariel, seven years will come and go by quickly enough," her mother laughed, while stroking her youngest daughters hair lovingly. "Enjoy every last moment while you can."_

With the voices of the past swirling around in her head, Ariel's eyes fluttered, her sleep having been interrupted by the shrill, monotonous buzzing of her alarm clock. Slamming down on the snooze button, she rolled over onto her back and curled up into a little ball under the covers.

Dismayed, she felt the warmth and lightheartedness she had experienced in her dream begin to slowly fade away, put out like a flame doused by water. Except, in her case, the equivalent to water was the the cold, hard proximity of reality.

_Enjoy every last moment while you can... _the voice echoed. Ariel winced at the sound of her mother's voice floating around in her head. Nowadays, there mere sound of Andromeda's voice caused a sharp shooting pain to tear through her heart and tears to burn in her eyes. For a slight moment, she even thought she was going to be sick to her stomach, too, but, to her great relief, that feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come on.

Still, her mother's words of wisdom remained, even though they perplexed Ariel.

How was she supposed to enjoy "every last moment" of her life if her mother wasn't there for her to enjoy it with? How was she supposed to stay true to her mother's word if she felt like an outsider in her own skin and barely even recognized her reflection in the mirror anymore? Furthermore, how was she supposed to live by this philosophy if there was nothing_ to _enjoy in her life? There really was no one who noticed her, not at home and not at school;_ no one_ who really cared enough about her to know who she was or what she was doing anymore.

With those previous thoughts in mind, Ariel yawned and finally found enough energy to pull herself out of bed, partly because a little voice in the back of her head reminded her that if she laid around any longer she'd be late for school. Yes, school. She had given up on her tutors long ago and had told her father shortly thereafter she would be attending public school. At least there, her sisters (and her own father) wouldn't poke and prod at her constantly. At least there she could easily be confined to her own thoughts and no one would even pay second mind to her.

Idly, Ariel then continued dragged herself through her morning routine, concluding her ritual by checking her reflection in the mirror before departing.

As she stared at her face, she couldn't help but notice that she looked so much different than she had before.

Ever since her mother's death, she was constantly changing and shifting, both mentally and physically. Put quite simply, she never really felt like herself anymore.

Indeed, her eyes used to sparkle on a day to day basis, especially when she was in the vicinity of human stuff, but now they were red and blood-shot, riddled relentlessly with tears. Her face used to have a happy-go-lucky sort of glow to it, too, but now it was pale, looking as if she hadn't seen happiness in weeks or had laughed warmly in months, of which was probably one-hundred percent true. Hey, there was no point in denying the truth.

But perhaps the most unnerving factor about her morphing reflection, however, was that her hair wasn't quite as vibrant as it once was; it seemed to have been losing intensity ever since her mother's passing. Once upon a time, it been her most prized possession and most well-known feature, in addition to her voice, of course, but now it was just one more thing attached her head, succumbing slowly, along with everything else, into her melancholy state of mind.

Grabbing her nearly-empty book bag at the door, Ariel swam down the hallways in a daze, trying not to dwell on her previous thoughts for too long, for she knew that if she thought the same thing for too long or for too much at a time, it would only end up depressing her more.

She swam past the dining hall, not even bothering to stop to get a bite to eat, deciding to skip breakfast this morning. Her stomach strongly protested that notion, but she, nonetheless, completely ignored the pangs of hunger. They could wait until later because she, honestly, didn't feel like facing her father and her sisters this morning. Eating would just have to wait until later, then. Besides, the last thing she needed was another lecture from her family about "moving on." She, quite frankly, wasn't ready to accept the fact that her mother was gone and forget about it like everyone else seemingly had. The way she saw it, no one had been closer to Queen Andromeda than Ariel herself. Personally, therefore, it was going to take her longer to mourn and get herself together than most other regular people.

Hearing the bell ring in the distance, Ariel realized she was going to be late to class again, that is, unless she could miraculously swim ten miles in two short minutes. It was, indeed, possible for her to do so, but, for some reason or another, she continued on with her slow pace and, in the long run, didn't feel all too concerned about the matter whatsoever. Funny enough, if you were a daughter of Triton, the teachers seemed to completely exempt you from all trouble you got yourself into. In relation to that, she'd probably just get off with another warning, of which she would tune out of until it was over, and that would be that.

Besides, she'd prefer to be out and about at school than to mope around her room all day. There was less in that dull, uneventful building to remind her of her mother than there was in her own room and it was somehow easier to drift back into the shadows and go unnoticed without really trying. Plus, it gave her a temporary distraction, something else to think about besides herself, which, actually, was warmly welcomed in her book.

She slunk down into her seat twenty minutes later, taking pride in the fact that no one even paid any mind to her tardiness anymore. She unpacked a piece of paper and something to write with, continuing to stare up intently at the board. She actually was quite looking forward to whatever their next lesson was going to be. Okay, so, maybe she was overly depressed as it was, but she still couldn't help but be very passionate about her ninth grade studies, even if she wasn't as vocal about it as she had once been.

Squinting, she watched on as her teacher, Ms. Ashford, wrote two words up on the chalkboard, wondering eagerly what could be on agenda. As the teacher stepped away, two words in big block handwriting remained: HUMAN STUDIES.

Ariel nearly had a heart-attack at the mere sight of it. What kind of a sick joke was this? Honestly! Human studies? Was that even legal? It certainly hadn't been when she was younger, that was for sure.

"Now, I know that you all are probably wondering why on Earth we would ever studies the vermin known to us as the humankind, but it has been made a standard in our history departments by the high and mighty King Triton in honor of Queen Andromeda-"

"May she rest in peace," the class chorused, bowing their heads down for a moment out of respect.

"He explained to us that he knew that his wife would have liked for each child to know that there is two sides to every story, especially in relation to humans. I know, I'm just as excited as all the rest of you are to begin these lessons and, well, anyway, he has dedicated this unit of study in her memory," she continued. "And, as you know, summer vacation is coming up very soon, so this will, most likely, take up the rest of our year."

The students sat in dead silence, unsure of how to feel about this new twist. Ariel still looked as if she was going to pass out any moment now as the teacher continued to elaborate on their new studies.

On one hand, she was proud of her father for dedicating the learning of humans in her mother's memory; it's what her mother would have wanted, but, at the same time, it wasn't. She knew her mother well enough to know that would rather liked a lesson taught on the kindness and gentle nature of humans and their stuff dedicated in her name than one that instead ridiculed them.

On the bright side, though, Ariel knew that she definitely wasn't going to fail this unit since she was practically an encyclopedia on the human world. Although, she preferred not to think much about it since it reminded her, quite painfully, of who had given her a good portion of that knowledge...

Bowing her head in respect and memory to her mother, she felt a single tear run down her face and splatter onto her piece of paper.

And she didn't even bother to wipe it away.

* * *

On the other side of the classroom, a young man by the name of Netis sat calmly and quietly in his desk as the teacher explained their upcoming unit.

The whole human studies concept had come to him as a shocking blow and he was just as surprised as everyone else in the room, including the young princess. Never in a million years had he imagined that he'd live to see the day when his teacher would teach them about _humans_...

As the class voiced their remembrance of Queen Andromeda, Netis couldn't help but peer over his shoulder to see how the youngest daughter of the said queen was handling it. Well, could you blame him for being a little bit curious?

As he had predicted, she was both taken aback and grief-stricken; he could tell by her countenance. He continued to watch her closely as her face fell and a single tear streamed down her cheek, seemingly unnoticed by everybody else.

Automatically, he felt like jumping up and hugging her, while reassuring her that everything would be okay.

See, he knew exactly what she was going through because he, too, had lost his mother when he was younger. He knew that her pain must've been unbearable and her thoughts never-ending; he had been there, done that. He just wished that there was some way that he could _help_ her, but would someone like Ariel really pay attention to a mere commoner like him...?

"To begin this lesson, class, we'll need to partner up. Keep in mind these partners will be your partners for the rest of our unit, do, if you will, when you are paired up, go and move next to your partner, okay? " Ms. Ashford continued, snapping Netis out of his thoughts. "I'll will be assigning who you will work with, as well, so quit eye-balling each other," she stated simply as her class groaned in response. "Let's see, we'll start with you Netis," she continued locking eyes with him. "We will pair you up with... Ah, I know. You will be working with Ariel. That should be a wonderful match."

Netis felt his heart leap up into his throat and his stomach do a couple of back-flips. This could be his chance to help ease the suffering the youngest daughter was feeling; what luck he had just had! He made a mental note to himself to thank Ms. Ashford later as he stood up to take a seat in the unoccupied desk next to Ariel. As he had expected, she didn't even acknowledge his presence or even say a simple "hello" as he sat down beside her.

After the rest of the class had been paired up, the teacher continued to provide the students with some background information that was needed in order to complete their first paper. He knew Ariel wasn't paying attention, probably absorbed in her own thoughts again, so he was sure to listen extra-closely in case he ended up writing the paper in the end, which, by all means, was fine with him.

"Now, humans have many tools that can be both wonderful and deadly," she explained, holding up some black and white pictures to reinforce her point. "This particular one is called a harpoon and it is used for killing whales."

He could hear a few gasps as she continued on, explaining various artifacts and their uses, both good and bad. "You think that's terrible? You haven't seen the worst of it," she remarked with a sigh. "And last, but certainly not least, this is called a hook, or more commonly referred to as a fish-eater's hook. It will strangle any of its victims alive and is the most common cause for mermaid deaths-"

This sentence, apparently, had struck a chord with Ariel. He observed her carefully her eyes watered and her face burned a fiery red, almost more so than her hair; he could even swear that he could hear her heart shattering, too. Abruptly, she got up and rushed out of the classroom, even though no one paid any attention to her random outbursts anymore.

Netis made to follow after her, knowing that it was the right thing to do. This move received many odd looks from his classmates, but not a single protest was to be heard. Normally when Ariel left crying, no one followed her. They normally just shrugged it off and figured that she'd be back for class tomorrow when she pulled herself together again.

This time, however, was different, for that single young man followed her out into the hall, where she had since collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed by tears.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

* * *

Today had all been too much for her to handle. From her dream about her mother this morning, to the human studies announcement, to the explanation of the hook in class, she just couldn't take it anymore; she had to get away for a little while to get a hold of herself.

Hearing the door close behind her, she looked up, tear-stricken, to see a young man's algae-green eyes connecting with her own worriedly. _No one ever follows me, _she thought with a sniffle, wiping away the tears on her face with the back of her hands. _Why is he following me?_

She couldn't help but notice that his hair was a sleek and black, hanging loosely around his face, and that his skin was an exotic looking dark, sand-like color. Honestly, if she didn't know any better, she'd say he was actually quite handsome.

"Do you need something?" she asked quietly, crossing her arms across her chest protectively.

"I was, um, just making sure that you were okay," he answered, taking a seat down on the ground next to her. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I-I'm fine. You can leave now," she said, looking back down at the floor.

"Are you really?" he asked carefully, reaching forward to brush a piece of hair away from her eyes. She flinched at his touch, but remained silent. "Are you sure you don't need anything? Is there anything I can do-?"

"Look, I don't need your pity," she interrupted softly, scooting back away from him. "I don't need you to feel sorry for me o-or feel the need to do things for me just because I lost my mother. It's very nice of you, but I will have you know that I perfectly c-capable of taking care of myself, thanks. Just let go of whatever pity or sympathy you have for me and get back to class. I'm not worth wasting any more of your time."

"That's not true," he asked gently, cupping the side of her face with his palm. He knew that she probably wanted her space and for shut up and him to leave her alone, but he couldn't bring himself to just get up and walk away from her like that. Besides, he _wanted _to help her so badly. Wasn't _that _worth anything?

She shook her head and pulled away, looking directly down at the ground again. "Why do you even care? No one else does," she said, rocking back and forth slightly and clutching her stomach. In this way, it almost looked as if she was going to be sick.

"Because I understand-"

"No one will ever understand me," she cut in sharply. "No one cares," she repeated.

"But _I_ do. I know what you're feeli-" he started, even though he knew that his attempts were futile and he probably _still _wasn't even going to get another word in edgewise.

"Go away," she suddenly snapped.

"What?" he said, taken aback. "Why?"

"Just leave me alone," she demanded, her voice shaking.

He didn't dare say another word as she pulled her fin to her chest and burst into tears again. Despite what she said previously, he knew for a _fact _that she wasn't okay and this only proved it to him more.

In response to that thought, he crawled over to her on his hands and fin and did what he had wanted to do for such a long time now. At the same time, however, he knew that he had completely disobeyed and disregarded everything that she had said previously... He was sure she'd understand in due time, though.

So, that's why he reached out to her and wrapped both of his arms around her shoulders, continuing to hug her tightly. And, as he held her close, he knew for a fact that he now cared about her enough to know that she was _never _worth letting go of.

* * *

**Interestingly enough, in the original back-story of **_**The Little Mermaid**_** (which is going to be elaborated on by _TLM 3: Ariel's Beginning_, might I add), Ariel's mother was referred to as Queen Athena and I, for some reason or another, renamed her to Queen Andromeda in this story. Just in case you were wondering, this was partly because I wasn't even thinking and forgot she actually had a name and, guess what, my little error ended up working in my favor! And I'm going to tell you why! **

**After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to do some research on both names because I wondered if either one could hold more significance to this woman than the other. And I was curious about their etymology, too. **

**The results were quite surprising and enlightened me greatly: Athena is known to be the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill. In this light, she would've been a woman to look up to and admire and love, which, by all means, she was. To me personally, that's not_ exactly_ all that she stood for, though. Although she did seem to probably follow along similar principles, there's just another side to her that wasn't completely covered by the meaning of "Athena" alone.**

**So, then, I looked up the Greek goddess, Andromeda, who also has in an extensive history in mythology, and, among other things, the etymology of her name literally means "to think or to be mindful of man." **

**Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. :)**

**-Dreaming Wide Awake**

**P.S. I _know_ Netis is a baby girl's name, but I really, really want to use it as a boy's name (yes, you'll see why a little bit later; there _is_ a method to my madness), so use your imagination for a moment, will you?**

**P.P.S. This chapter is dedicated to you, Elizabeth Lakecrest, for being such a wonderful reviewer and amazing person to talk to. I thought I'd give you something else to read today. (:**


	3. Shattered

**Chapter Two: Shattered**

"_Mommy! Mommy! What's that?" little Ariel bubbled, pushing up onto the tippy-tops of her fins, while anxiously pointing up at an object located on the highest shelf of the cove. Her mother smiled and was happy to answer to her daughter's demands. By this point, the pointing and intriguing questions the young girl posed to her had become quite a regular routine for the two of them._

_But Ariel just couldn't help it; whenever she and her mother were in the cove, her curiosity peaked and her imagination soared. Here, only the surface was the limit. _

_It was almost like riding in the seashell her father used to get from place to place. Like any other little girl, she'd loved to feel the intense ups and downs that came with riding in it, but she could never tell which direction – up, down, left, right- was coming next. She couldn't always tell what was waiting for her at the bottom of the first dip, either, for that matter. _

_Queen Andromeda laughed warmly and twirled her over-zealous daughter around her in arms. At the same time, she swam upwards to the top of shelf of the cove in order to retrieve the object of fascination for Ariel._

"_Ah," the older woman sighed, while fondly stroking the small object tenderly with her free hand. The gold and silver engravings sparkled in the beam of sunlight that streamed through the cove._

_Queen Andromeda smiled and gently opened the box, holding it down so that Ariel could see. Suddenly, the hovel was flooded with a melody of beautiful music. As the notes weaved through the air, Ariel's eyes lightened and her mouth dropped in awe; she'd never heard music anything like this before! _

_And it was then that she recognized what it was. _

_It was a music box. A real, live, authentic human music box!_

_The melody, literally music to the younger child's ears, continued for a couple moments longer as the two human figurines perched within it danced around each other in perfect synchronization. _

_With a smile plastered on her face, Ariel's mother grabbed her daughter's arm and whirled her around just like the two humans in the music box. _

_Breathlessly, Ariel released herself from her mother's hold and swam back over to the box, enticed by the pure essence of it. She leaned her arms against the rock it sat upon and rested her head on her wrists, sighing in admiration._

_She'd never seen anything so beautiful. And she just didn't see how a world that made such wonderful and beautiful things (like this music box!) could be so… bad. _

"_One day, I will take you to the surface to hear the music live," her mother whispered in her ear, while pressing her lips up against her daughter's temple. She wrapped her arms around her little girl, who was practically glowing in delight, and held on tight, never wanting to let go._

_

* * *

_

It was that one hug, that one simple gesture of sympathy, that had pierced Ariel's wall of self-defense. The foundation that she had worked so hard to build up around herself to protect her from this type of thing, this type of _hurt _and _feeling_, had faltered, now slowly crumbling from underneath her feet.

Moreover, she saw herself as a piece of delicate glass that had just been stricken by a hammer. But as she very well knew, shards of glass can have extremely sharp edges if handled the wrong way.

She stared blankly ahead, at last relaxing into the young merman's embrace. She racked her memory, trying to remember if there was any time in the past (if there had ever been one) that someone had wrapped their arms around her like this and really meant so much. Had anyone _ever_ meant so much sympathy and care and compassion all at once within one hug?

With tears still streaming down her face, she laid her head gently upon his chest, closing her eyes in an attempt to clear her thoughts. She inhaled deeply and noticed the pleasing tinge of cologne in the air. It was his, of course. She found herself enjoying the smell of him and, even long after he was gone, she was sure that, if she breathed slowly and softly through her nose, she'd be able to recollect the scent.

Not that she was ever going to. Not that she even wanted to. Not that she'd ever admit that she'd just thought that thought. In fact, the absolute _last_ thing she wanted in her life right now was some boy that was going to go and mess with her mind.

However, she couldn't help but wonder what had persuaded the young merman embracing her to take a newfound interest in her. After all, no one had ever made even the slightest attempt to speak to her, let alone _follow_ her, before, so what was it that had made this instance so very different?

The boy then laid his head on the top of her own as she sat there, motionless, tears still fresh on her face. He stroked her hair, her back, even gave her a shoulder rub at one point. She began to wonder if she should care more about the fact that he was a complete stranger to her. However, as she mentally toyed with the idea and situation at hand, it seemed more like one lost soul helping another soul to carry some of the heavy burden it shouldered. After all, it seemed that no soul should ever have to carry more of a strain than it could bear, or at least in her opinion, anyway. It seemed more than enough to justify her, as well as his, actions, too.

But she was still very interested to know _his_ motive in being so kind to her, rather than being merely satisfied with the assumptions she had made.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling that there was ten minutes left in class. After that, there'd be a lunch break, and, from there, she wasn't sure where she was going to go. As comforting as the idea of staying in the boy's arms for a few more hours sounded, she knew _this_ wouldn't and couldn't last forever. She was flirting with the temptation to maybe skip out class later that afternoon – not that anyone would notice nor care – when Netis' voice broke through her train of thought.

"Ariel?" he spoke softly and quietly, so much so that Ariel could almost sense the almost musical fluidity to his voice. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and wiped the last of her tears as he untangled her from within his arms. She gratefully let him lift her up to her fins as she regained the last of her composure. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. And thanks, you know, for everything," she said. "But, um, can I just ask you something?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Go for it."

"I just want to know... why did you even bother to follow me out here?"

"Well, why not?" he responded with a gentle smile.

"Touché," she grumbled, crossing her arms. She then turned on her flipper and stepped away, unable to acknowledge her own defeat.

"No, no, please, don't leave," he pleaded softly, catching her by her elbow. He drew her back again and began to explain himself. "I was just worried about you, okay? I heard about your mother's passing a while ago – I mean, sorry, everybody knows about it, of course - and I know from experience how hard this must be for you to go through…" he continued. "I didn't want you to feel anymore alone than you had to be -"

"Oh, so you're going to play the pity card, too?" she asked weakly, her voice quivering. She shook off the hand that he had yet to remove from her arm and turned away from his scrutinizing gaze, knowing that she was about to break again. She held her arms around her middle, trying to pull herself together, if only for the sake of not shattering in from of him again. She knew, after all, that he wouldn't always be there to pick up the pieces.

"You know, that seems to be what everyone says. 'I'm so sorry your mother died,' they say sadly, but the truth is that there are just some things that other people's apologies and sympathies can't fix."

He just looked at her for a moment. He stared at the back of fiery red curtain of hair, at the head that was tilted towards the ground, letting her words sink in. He swam up cautiously near to her, kneading his hands together nervously. He stared into her piercing blue eyes and looked at the beautiful face that was smeared with tears. Her eyes were bloodshot and red, her cheeks blotchy and flushed. She met his gaze, and he knew that she was seeing him without really noticing he was there.

He then remembered that one saying of how the eyes were the windows to a person's soul. As he had just discovered now, the eyes can also be the blinds concealing a person's soul, as well. You could pull back the curtains and expose the sunlight just as easily as you can yank them back closed.

"_W__hy, _though? Why do you care so much? You barely even know me," she whispered aloud, trying to push the topic further. Apparently, she was having a hard time understanding his intentions.

"Well, that may be true, but I can't walk away from someone who's in need. I mean, could you? It's doesn't seem right of me to turn a blind eye to someone who I might be able help," he stated with an air of determination.

"That is… that is really nice of you," she said quietly, clenching and un-clenching her fists out of nervous habit.

"Oh, you know, I haven't formally introduced myself yet. I'm Netis," he said, offering his hand out to shake hers.

"Ariel," she said, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

"Come on, Ariel, you know you can't shake my hand with a close fist," he remarked, staring down at her tightly clenched fingers. "Go on, I don't bite... a lot."

She smiled, the corners of her lips turning upwards ever so slightly for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

She took her time in unfolding her arms and, in turn, extended her own petite hand, grasping it around his own warm one. She noticed that the crevices of his hands were very worn and calloused for a person of his age. Her mind flitted to the possibility that these callouses were the result of long days of writing or of sculpting. Maybe he was a painter in his spare time...

As her mind wandered, he dropped his hand. His eyes darted around the hallways anxiously, waiting for what she'd say next. They glanced from the peeling grey paint on the lockers to the stained glass doorways -

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around," she uttered finally. She turned and slowly wandered in the other direction, not even bothering to wait for his farewell. He watched her shuffle down the corridor with her head bowed and into the cafeteria just as the bell sounded harshly.

Swarms of teenagers suddenly filed out of classrooms and the once-quite hallway was filled with the excited buzz of the students' chatter. Taking no notice to the end of the period, Netis remained where he was standing, completely and utterly lost in thought.

In the pit of his stomach, he had a feeling that there was something more to Ariel than met the eye. If only he could delve beneath her surface... if only she trusted him enough to allow him to. After all, she had been taken aback, astounded, by the mere thought of interaction with others. She didn't seem understand his want to care for her. It almost seemed foreign to her.

As if he had just collided in to a brick wall, it hit him.

She knew something. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so resistant to him. She was harboring a secret of some sort.

Or perhaps it was merely leftover grief from her mother's passing. It was rumored that Ariel was the favorite of Queen Andromeda and that the queen spent most of her time with her youngest daughter. If that was true, then he would understand her inability and unease to trust others. He wasn't going to walk out on her anytime soon, but maybe she'd be afraid of losing him, too.

And it was that very same intriguing thoughts and prospects that kept Netis wanting to come back for more. Whether Ariel liked it or not, he was a part of her life now, and he wasn't going to be disappearing from it anytime soon.

But she still was in on something he wasn't. And, sooner or later, he was going to figure out what it was.

* * *

**Wow, I'm sorry. Honestly, I never intentionally had plans to go without updating this story for so long. Quite frankly, I had no inspiration for this story at all and it was killing me. But, thankfully, I just randomly had a few ideas pop into my head tonight, so I hope you enjoyed! I will be quicker on updating in the future. :)**

**-Dreaming Wide Awake**


	4. Broken Monotony

**Chapter Three: Broken Monotony**

_Some things just never change, _Ariel thought resolutely.

She clutched her brown bag lunch tightly in her palm and continued along the aisles of the cafeteria, observing the interaction between the various social groups. The place was still split into cliques, each of whom occupied a single lunch table. As a whole, these cliques dictated the rules of the school and operated on the boundaries of what was considered "normal."

It was sort of funny, how high school was exactly the way Ariel remembered her mother had told her it would be. The description of the athletes, cheerleaders, and geeks never seemed to falter. But her mother's advice on the matter?

"_High school is a vicious place,"_ she had said. _"There will be people you love and that love you with all their heart and there will be others who won't give you the time of day and treat you like dirt. But persevere, you will endure it."_

_Easier said than done, Mom_, she thought bitterly. Dealing with social classes meant treading deep waters. Not that she cared. No one even turned their head at her anymore… not that it mattered. They occasionally eyed her as she passed, but very rarely did that ever happen. And on the rare occasion that it did, they probably thought, "Poor girl, her mom's dead," in their heads. Either that, or "Ariel's got servants waiting on her hand and foot, so what's she so depressed about?"

She plopped herself down at her usual table. It was still as empty and dull as she remembered it. She cast her gaze downward at the scratched grey surface and pulled her food out of the bag. For her, this whole staying for lunch thing was a first. Staying at school longer than a few hours was a first for her, too. Normally, following her morning classes, she went straight home and didn't come back. In fact, she could count on one finger the number of times she had eaten lunch in this very cafeteria because she had actually stayed long enough to do so.

She wondered what it was that made her stay for once. As she nibbled at her food, she decided that today was just _off_. Or perhaps it was merely a day of firsts. The whole emotional break down and the boy following her… it was too much to comprehend in one day. He had said he cared about her, too, so that ought to count for something. And she had sort of hinted that she wanted to see him again. But did she _really_?

Just because he cared about her didn't mean that he wasn't going to use her like the last guy. Yeah, he only wanted in the palace to steal some valuables and make some spare change. Given the circumstances and her apparent inability to trust another, she wasn't exactly going to throw the palace gates open for Netis. Not that he'd ever do something like _that_. He seemed too… nice. Then again, that's what she'd thought about the last guy, too.

She heard the shrill chime of the ten-minute bell. Had twenty minutes of her time really passed by _that _quickly? _Oh, time flies, _she thought as she stood up to go trash the remnants of her lunch.

"Do you like getting it on during class or what, Princess?" a voice sneered from behind her.

She continued on her way, believing that the voice had been indicating someone other than herself. Some athlete must've been harassing their girlfriend. Plus, she'd spent the morning in Netis's arms and she couldn't imagine why that would have stirred up any controversy, if that was _even_ the proper word. It was a _hug_. Nobody cares!

Then again, that's what she'd been trying to tell herself all through lunch, too.

So, she let their comments and hushed whispers fall on deaf ears because, quite frankly, she could care less about what or who the popular cheerleaders were looking down upon. One, it wasn't any of her business and, two, anything the cheerleaders had to say wasn't worth her time or energy. They were _cheerleaders_, for Neptune's sake_._ Most of the things that came out of their mouths didn't matter.

As she opened the door to her next class, she immediately was swept with the feeling that she had just walked in on an important discussion. She noticed that some of the desks had already been pushed together and the people occupying them had been discussing something with fervor. Their voices escalated as they debated some hot topic.

"No, no I don't believe Ariel could've just come onto him like that. I mean, have you seen her lately? She's _always _off in La-La Land," a tall boy with sandy blonde hair declared.

"Yeah, when she shows up at school," another person chimed in. "Which is hardly ever."

Tears burning in her eyes, she turned around and left the classroom, slamming the door behind her. She knew Netis was just too nice. He used her to show off to his friends.

"Hey! Hey, Princess! Is it true you kissed Netis and then flashed him?" some kid shouted with a chuckle somewhere behind her.

She took a deep breath in attempt to shield her sobs and buried her face into the books clutched to her chest. She burst out the front doors of the school, finally to a safe haven. But she knew where she'd feel even better.

* * *

She knew that letting her fins lead her places was a bad idea. It was just her luck that she had opened up her mother's cove again. She was almost overwhelmed by the emotions that it brought out in her. It was terrifying how she had barricaded these memories away in the deepest crevices of her mind, almost untouched since the day it had happened. She could feel the pain of the past singeing the edges of her heart like an incredibly painful jellyfish sting to the skin.

She wrapped her arms around herself, around her aching heart, trying to hold herself together. She let a few tears slip down her cheeks as she reached her trembling hand forward to grasp a music box, a reminiscent of the past, of so many years ago when her mother was alive…

The hole in her heart, the ache she couldn't soothe, the pain of her entire existence, had been ripped open right then and there once again. She was vulnerable; exposed. It was her own fault, too… and Netis'. If he hadn't gone out and bragged to his friends and spread false rumors, she wouldn't have been forced to return to this very spot.

But, somehow, this cove also provided her comfort. She felt closer than ever to her mother here, even though the thought that the humans who had caused her mother's death had once owned some these possessions was extremely painful.

She lowered herself to the ground, taking the liberty to wrap a blue blanket around her body with shaky hands. She inhaled deeply, noticing that the smell on the blanket closely resembled that her mother's.

She shook her head, as if that would clear away the thoughts she didn't want to hear. Maybe if she didn't acknowledge its existence, perhaps it hadn't occurred in the first place…

She wiped the stray tears away with the back of her arm. She willed herself to breathe, blinking back the rest of her tears. The tears that continued to make their way down her face, despite her best efforts, proved to be her twisted lullaby.

The walls around her blurred before her vision until they faded into black.

* * *

She woke up hours later in a sleepy daze, struggling to remember who she was or what she was doing here. She practically lived for this time of the day; it seemed to be the only place where the burden of life could be eased from her shoulders, if only for a few seconds.

She sat up and tried to blink the drowsiness of sleep from her eyes. She pulled herself up off of the floor next and, with a brave face, made for the exit of the trove. It took a great deal of effort on her part to manage to stare straight ahead the entire way out in order to prevent further memories from resurfacing in her mind.

Outside, she rolled the rock back over the entrance, making sure that it was tight and snug. Metaphorically, she performed the same action in her head, sealing off the painful memories from her conscious mind with her own personal rock.

Just from glancing at her surroundings, she could tell it was getting late. She knew that she had freedom at school, but nothing could compare to her father's anger when she arrived too late. She didn't want the vein in his forehead to throb at her as he hashed out his "breaking curfew" speech.

She made her way back to the castle in a daze, willing herself to get home before she became torn at the edges again. She kept urging herself to take more strides as she rounded in on the gates to the palace.

"No! This is important!" a male voice shouted from nearby. "I'm not leaving!" Armor shuddered at impact of a fin nearby.

Panicked, Ariel rounded the corner, ready to make a quick escape into the castle in case the intruder resorted to more dangerous tactics. Sure, violent protestors like this came around the castle all the time, but that didn't mean that Ariel wasn't still frightened of them. But that was before she noticed that the person there was none other than Netis.

Normally, she would've turned away. She would've turned and strode on her fin and let the guards deal with it. She felt a need to speak her mind to this boy. It was now or never.

"It's okay, he's here for me," she said, addressing the guards. They released his arms with an uneasy glance in her direction. They backed off, but only slightly. She noticed they were still ready to spring into action, if necessary. She doubted, however, that it was she they should be worrying about; no, this channeled rage was going straight to the fin she was just about ready to rip off his flipper.

"You know, you really had me fooled," she spat at him. "But the joke's on me, I guess."

"No, Ariel, y-you don't understand-" he started, holding his hands up in self defense.

"Do you really think it's funny to go around spreading rumors like that?" she said quickly, cutting him off. Her voice was gradually rising. "But me? No, I don't really this at all amusing, actually."

"Ariel, I didn't-!" he said, trying to get a word in edgewise. "I would never-"

"I can't believe that you'd manipulate me in my time of need. I mean, I thought you were a nice guy and you made me smile! I don't think you even know the value I place on my _own_ smile, nowadays, since it hardly ever happens," she explained heatedly. "But you know what? Forget it. I'm done," she said, with a tone of finality. She crossed her arms and turned on her fin to leave.

And for the second time that day, he grabbed her elbow to stop her from leaving. He wasn't going to let her get away from him if he had anything to say about it. She had to know the truth.

"Ariel-"

"Don't you dare touch me," she snarled, yanking her elbow away from his palm. "I cannot believe the nerve of you!"

"PLEASE!" he exploded. "Listen to me."

She shrank back at the hostility in his voice. "Hear me out, Ariel. On my honor, I said nothing to anyone. I don't know how to explain it other than someone else must've seen us in the hallway. Please," he pleaded. "If there's one thing that's true, it's that I didn't spread any rumors. You have to trust me."

"Yeah? Prove it to me."

"Fine, I will," he said determinedly. He strode forward so that he was face-to-face with her and, without even hesitating, he full-on kissed her. He could feel her face tighten with surprise; he could sense her eyes widening, her eyebrows shooting up to her forehead. But he put his whole heart and soul into that kiss. If that kiss didn't deem him worthy enough in her eyes, he wasn't sure what would.

She pulled back, seeing stars in her eyes, and turned her back to him.

"If that doesn't prove it to you, I have no other ideas nor options," he stated. He searched her eyes desperately for some sort of hint as to what she was thinking. She then muttered something incoherently.

"What was that?" he said, his lips cracking into a smile. "I can't-"

"I believe you," she mumbled, casting her gaze downwards.

* * *

**Yeah, I know, that was **_**extremely**_** cliché in every possible way, but what can I say? I kinda love clich****és (have you _read Where I Belong_, haha)**** and I think it sorta had to happen. BTW, Ariel will stop being emo very soon now. Even **_**I'm **_**getting depressed when writing this. And I think I'm going to cut down the length of this story because, honestly, I think it works better with what I have planned. I only kinda, sorta know what I'm doing right now. Not that it really matters to you, but I hoped you enjoyed, all the same! **

**:)**

**-Dreaming Wide Awake**


	5. Beautiful and Deadly

**Chapter Four: Beautiful and Deadly**

As per daily routine, breakfast bowls, plates, and cups clattered and chimed as they made their way around the dining room table. It was seven AM sharp, and, like any other morning, dish after seemingly endless dish of food was being distributed to and passed around the abnormally long and elegant piece of furniture. And, as usual, the royal family was assembled around it in order of age. King Triton, thus, was poised at the head of the table with his daughters, starting with Aquata and ending with Allana, wrapped around the edges.

He had, in the time that had passed since Queen Andromeda's death, gotten used to having a seat missing every morning, too, seeing as Ariel hardly ever joined the family for meals anymore. He had adapted to making light conversation with his second youngest daughter with an empty chair separating them, a painful reminder of who they were still missing.

King Triton nearly choked on the piece of seaweed he was consuming, however, when he noticed the vibrant redhead at his side once again. She was so incredibly quiet that he hadn't even noticed her file in with the rest of the girls and take her seat. He didn't even recognize her presence until he leaned over to ask Allana how she'd slept and was instead met with a different daughter. What a surprise he was in for when he saw his youngest daughter sitting there instead, munching down on her breakfast. Her head was bent down over her plate and her gaze was cast downwards directly at her plate, her red curtain of hair protectively shielding her face.

He glanced over to his left, raising his eyebrows at Aquata, almost as if to say, _Do you know anything about this?_

She returned his gaze with one of confusion until he swiveled his head back over in Ariel's direction. Her eyes widened in surprise as she caught on, and she immediately leaned over to whisper something to Andrina. In a matter of seconds, the entire table had broken out into a series of astonished murmurs. Everybody's undivided focus was now aimed towards the little redhead that had yet to notice that she had become the center of attention in less than five seconds flat.

A hush fell over the sisters as Ariel finally held her head up. Her features tightened, and a flash of confusion, surprise, and then, finally, understanding flickered across her face. Her eyes darted from sister to sister as she chewed down on her bottom lip nervously, a somewhat uneasy expression lingering on her face.

"_You're_ joining us for breakfast?" Arista remarked incredulously. For that, she had earned herself a harsh slap on the arm from Atina to which she responded with a smile and a slap right back. She could feel the girls around the table biting back their snickers at the sisters' display. "Well, it's about time, darling. I mean, I don't know… I just didn't think that you'd ever eat with us again."

Ariel shrugged and sighed. "Am I not welcome here anymore?" she wondered quietly. "I can go…"

"No, no, not welcome at all," Adella frowned, her tone seeping with sarcasm. "We've already decided that we're kicking you out of the palace."

"Yeah, we thought we'd just leave you out on the streets to fend for yourself from now on," Arista chimed in.

Both Adella's and Arista's lips simultaneously twisted up into a smile and all the other girls burst out laughing at the absurd nature of the comment. Triton, in turn, shot a harsh glare in Adella's direction and reached over to pat Ariel on the back. "You know that you always welcome here, no matter what, Sweetheart."

"Well, that is, as long as you don't, like, fall in love with a human or anything," Andrina amended with a giggle.

Ariel found herself smiling at _that _comment. In love? With a human? Right. She loved their _stuff_, sure, but she wasn't sure if she'd ever find it in her heart to forgive them for their part in her mother's death. Or, at the very least, it'd take one heck of a human to change her mind after all that she'd been through. Not that she'd ever even _want_ thought of them in the romantic way. Nope, there was an absolute zero chance of that ever happening.

"I must say, Ariel," Triton remarked, hardly unable to suppress a grin himself. He watched her as she reached forward for some more food to place on her plate. "The table certainly seems livelier with you here."

She nodded slightly and continued scooping food onto her plate, offering no further commentary.

She wasn't sure that _livelier _was quite the right way to describe her current state of mind, but she sure felt better than she usually did in the morning. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but the mere thought that someone had proven devotion to her last night was reason enough for her to get her sorry fin out of bed. It didn't hurt that he happened to be an _incredible _kisser, either.

Not that she'd ever own up to thinking that thought in the first place. If only he could know how unbelievably happy he had made her in such a short amount of time. If only she wasn't such a big coward, she could probably get herself together and tell him. But, until then, he wouldn't know that she felt that way she did, and he probably never would. She knew she owed him something so much more than a 'thank you.' But how exactly did would you thank (much less pay back) someone who'd helped put you back together?

"Ariel," Triton said knowingly. "To whom do I owe your presence to this morning?"

In shock, Ariel's spoon clattered to the table, mid-scoop, and her free arm knocked up against the bowl nearest to it, causing it to spill its hot contents everywhere. How did her father just read her mind like that? Was it really _that_ obvious that she was thinking about Netis?

She could immediately feel the blood rush up to her cheeks; they were probably about the same shade as her hair by now. She then reached for her napkin hastily to mop up the mess off of herself and Allana. "I'm so, so sorry," she muttered profusely. "I-I didn't mean to-"

The table erupted in giggles again, and all the sisters shared their joint assumptions with one another. _She likes someone_, they whispered. _Ariel has a crush!_

"Ariel has a boyfriend!" Arista proclaimed, taking it upon herself to announce the sisters' shared revelation.

"No!" Ariel exclaimed defensively, while shaking her head quickly. She could feel her face becoming redder by the millisecond, if that was even possible. "I don't have a boyfriend!"

But it was too late. The sisters had already closed in on their youngest daughter, peppering her with questions about the lucky young merman. Triton sat back in his seat for a moment, feeling memories of the past emerging from the crevices of his mind. It seemed to him that the scene before him mirrored that of so many years ago…

He fondly remembered how, whenever the queen brought home a present for Ariel, the only daughter she'd _ever_ bring things home to, her sisters would all crowd around her, all eager for a peek at the wonderful new thing. They would all beg Ariel for a closer look, for any time to play with the new toy. If he remembered correctly, Ariel got quite a good laugh and many good deals out of her mother's generosity, too.

He chuckled quietly to himself and closed his eyes, able to recall the look of utter bemusement on his youngest daughter's face in perfect clarity. But when he peered through his eyelids again, she had, instead, a look of sheer horror plastered on her face, unsure of the hurricane she'd just unleashed on the sisters. She got up abruptly, shielding her face with both her hands _and _her hair this time, and scurried away quickly, leaving her sisters' questions lingering in the air, still unanswered.

Looking after her figure as she made her egress, he reflected back upon how concerned he'd been about Ariel when the queen had passed. He had observed the bond the two of them had shared, one that had been different between the bonds Andromeda had shared with that the other girls. Of course, like all parents of more than one merchild, he loved each of his girls equally. But there was a part of him that was unable to deny that little Ariel just _happened _to be his favorite. And, apparently, she had been Andromeda's favorite, too.

Pulling himself back to the present, he focused his attention back to his other remaining daughters.

"Was that really necessary?" he wondered out loud, staring down each of the girls individually. "She's never going to want to eat with us again now that you've gone and tortured her like that."

"Oh, Daddy, lighten up," Atina giggled. "We just wanted to find out who this special guy is. I mean, I, for one, want to personally thank him for making her so happy."

"Yeah, didn't you see it, you guys?" Adella said, her eyes sparkling. "She was practically glowing."

* * *

For once, Ariel had her binders open and was in her seat and ready to go by the time the final bell rang. She could hardly believe that she was ready to take notes the moment Ms. Ashford turned on the projector to begin the lecture for the day. She was also surprised how easily her lips cracked into a friendly smile when Netis took his seat in the desk beside her. She shouldn't have been so surprised, though, for all partners for the unit had been required to sit together for the time being.

Today, the topic of instruction was human stuff. Ms. Ashford had begun to explain the function of common human items, like fire and matches and fishing boats. A good majority of the students seated around her were awe-struck at all the information the teacher was feeding them.

Much to Ariel's dismay, though, all the definitions of the items were delivered with a harshly negative connotation. Instead of zeroing in on the beauty of the objects and their functions, the teacher provided an explanation of each item with a shadow of fear tacked to the side. She talked about all the bad and terrible ways in which they could be used and the especially harmful things that had been done with them. Where had been the awe of seeing a picture of a live fire? Or the inquiry and fascination behind the different types and colors of boots? Why was it automatically assumed that all human things were so extremely terrible?

It was almost amusing and slightly frightening to Ariel how easily these teachers could reject (and pass on that rejection) something they knew absolutely nothing about. Her father, as the instituter of this course, probably wouldn't let them deliver the lecture with a happy-go-lucky tone; no, that'd be too dangerous. But the very least they could do is acknowledge the differences between the cultures with _some _shred of respect. The way she saw it, they didn't even have the right to begin to judge the humans.

But she supposed they were just doing what they were told to do.

* * *

Peering over Ariel's shoulder out of pure curiosity, Netis noticed that the paper in front of her was completely blank. He knew that she hadn't been taking notes on the lecture. For all he knew, she probably was completely tuned out of the whole lesson. And, for a moment, he was glad that he had taken detailed notes, but as he watched different expressions drift across her face, he was filled with the feeling that something wasn't sitting quite right with her. No, she was most definitely listening to every word the teacher was saying.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that it was only fifteen minutes from morning break. He leaned back into his seat, wondering what was crossing her mind. He looked up from time to time to take more notes the presented slides. At the same time, he made a mental note to ask Ariel what was up the moment that bell sounded.

* * *

"Ariel," he said, following her out into the hallway. "I noticed you didn't take any notes. Do you want to borrow my notebook and copy mine?"

She glanced at him over her shoulder with her eyebrows raised. It almost looked as if she was ready to burst out laughing. "I don't need notes," she said. "I could've told you everything Ms. Ashford said right off the top of my head."

"What?" he asked, his eyebrows drawn up in confusion.

It was then Ariel realized what she said. What an incredibly stupid mental slip on her part! "Come on," she resigned, letting out a breath that she didn't even know she'd been holding. "I'll show you."

With the bell chiming behind them, Ariel took hold of Netis' arm and dragged them out of the vicinity of the school building. She had pursed her lip together tightly since that final bell had rung and had yet to provide him with a single explanation as to where they were going.

Sure, she knew that their class was in the opposite direction and that, technically, she shouldn't be dragging Netis along with her on her little excursion. But she wanted him to know the truth. And, besides, she could easily get him marked as having an excused absence in the system when they got back to school.

"Ariel?" he said finally. "Not that I don't trust you, but can I at least have a hint as where you're taking me to?"

"You know, all that stuff Ms. Ashford said about humans was kind of scary, wasn't it?" she said suddenly. "She highlighted all the faults of the human culture. But me? You know, I personally don't think she even has the right to even begin judging them. She doesn't even _know _a human for Neptune's sake-"

"You're not taking me to the surface, are you?" Netis cut in nervously. "I mean, that'd be real sweet of you and all but…"

"No," she said sharply, but with a slightly exasperated laugh. "But I do have something better in mind."

* * *

After five minutes of quick swimming, Ariel had led Netis to their destination. She glanced over both her shoulders and swam around the premises a few times before deeming the coast clear.

She sighed, "Look, I'm sorry for dragging you here when you're supposed to be class, but I just don't want you to get the wrong impression."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "About what? Humans?"

"Yeah. Everyone makes them and their stuff sound so horrible. And I can't say that I don't disagree sometimes; I mean, even I haven't fully forgiven them for killing my mother. But some of their other stuff – it's amazing! And I don't want you to be under the horrible assumption that every single human is a disgusting barbarian and all their stuff will instantly kill you."

He kept his mouth closed and watched as she proceeded to push a rather large rock off the covering to some cove. He immediately jumped to her aid. Together, the two of them were able to roll the rock over enough to expose a space just big enough for them to squeeze through.

She swam in front of him and blocked the entrance for a moment. "You must promise not to tell anyone that I showed you this or any the artifacts inside, okay?" she said, her voice quivering slightly. "It's sort of illegal to be doing this."

He shook his head quickly and looked her straight in the eye. "No, no I wasn't going to tell anyone or anything. I mean, not unless you don't want me to," he added. "I promise."

She smiled, "Thanks."

She took the lead and swam in quickly before him, leading the way through the pitch black tunnel. After a few moments, he reached the cove and was met with bright sunlight in the entrance along with the sight of dozens upon dozens of artifacts placed upon many, many shelves among the walls.

Behind him, Ariel had just returned from closing the tunnel entrance. "It was my mother's," she whispered. "I've never showed it to anybody, but…" she trailed off. He observed her countenance as her eyes traced each object lovingly.

"Is this… Is this h-human stuff?" he asked quietly, looking back over to her for conformation.

She smiled weakly and swam over to one of the nearest shelves. "Look, this is a candle. And a boot," she explained with a giggle. Playfully, she took the boot and tried sticking it on his fin, but he shrank away rapidly, a look of terror crossing his face.

"Get that away from me!" he cried out fearfully. "Those are so dangerous! I could die instantly if I touch it!"

Ariel's smile vanished almost immediately and the boot dropped out of her hand. "See? That's just the reaction I wanted to avoid," she said sharply. "Look, what I'm trying to tell you is that none of this stuff is harmful… that is, if you know how to use them."

To demonstrate, she placed the boot as best she could on her flipper. She waved it around Netis' face for a moment. "See? I'm not dead, am I?"

He was silent for a few moments. He then started swimming around the circumference of the cove slowly. He took the time to look at each of the objects individually, trying to remember if he could recall any memories as to what it was and any warnings associated with it. Meanwhile, Ariel placed herself smack dab in the middle of the cove floor. She discarded the boot she had been wearing previously and waited anxiously for Netis' next response.

"So, you said this was all your mother's?" he said finally. He sighed and turned slowly to face her, while running a slow hand through his sleek black locks of hair. "Who would've thought that Queen Andromeda had a secret human fetish?" he said with a chuckle.

"No one except me," she shrugged. "I was the only one she ever shared all her human stuff with."

"Don't you think it's sort of ironic how she loved humans so much, but they ended up working against her?" he pointed out solemnly.

"Don't you think that very same thought crosses my mind every day? I think about she talked so fondly about the humans and their stuff. But then I remember how her death was caused by those very same things," she said quietly, her voice shaking. "It's terrible to have such contradicting thoughts."

Netis swam over to Ariel and sank down next to her. With all these beautiful and deadly things surrounded him, Netis noted how differently the cove looked from a different vantage point. Upright and swimming, it seemed utterly overwhelming, but, from the floor, it seemed all the more daunting. The shadows of the objects, some of them hit completely by the sunshine from the world above, fell across the bottom of the cove.

"It must be hard, going against what everybody's always told you, even though you know the truth," he said quietly. "I can't even imagine."

"No… but, you know, s-she promised me she'd take me up to the surface on my fifteenth birthday," Ariel said abruptly, tilting her head upwards. "But I guess that's not going to happen," she continued. "Not now, not ever."

Now that she had finished pouring her heart out to him, she had collapsed into tears. Upon instinct, Netis pulled her into his arms again for another hug and let her cry into his chest until her sobs eventually subsided.

But Ariel needn't say another word, for, a month from now, on Ariel's fifteenth birthday, he already knew _exactly _where the two of them would be.

* * *

**This must be a new world record for me or something. I mean, two updates in one weekend? Wow. Anyway, that's that and I hope you enjoyed!  
**

**-Dreaming Wide Awake**

**P.S. This chapter is dedicated to disneyqueen for keeping me company on AIM last night and earlier today. Thank you! :)  
**


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